To the Editor: Quinn, Durbin not deterred by lack of funds

After an election, letters to the editor diminish. Democrat, Republican or Independent—liberal, conservative or moderate doesn’t matter. The process is finally over! Or is it?

Imagine a late-night commercial and just when you think it’s ending, a voice says, “But wait, there’s more!” So it is in politics—but wait, there’s more.

Illinois’ most powerful leaders, Governor Quinn and U.S. Senator Durbin, are hot on the trail to expand Amtrak, using vast sums we don’t have. Amtrak has its supporters, but this rail line consistently reports a deep deficit. But wait, that doesn’t stop Quinn and Durbin from wanting to expand a system that hemorrhages our tax dollars. To make matters worse, they want grants, but what are they? Grants are money from federal printing presses with no linkage to economic productivity. Crank up the printer and away we go! The election may be over, but wait, there’s more!

Think of our economic condition as this: we’re in a car heading for a cliff at 90 mph, and leaders like Quinn and Durbin step on the gas. They are driving us off a cliff promoting projects that have no connection to financial responsibility.

Quinn and Durbin are political versions of those hucksters on TV who say, “But wait, there’s more!” We can switch off the latter, but it’s not so easy to turn off the former unless we recognize the election isn’t over, and we say to Quinn and Durbin, but wait, there’s more! No more reckless spending!